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BEN VAN DYKE |
FENWAY'S FIRST TEAM
The
Red Sox split a doubleheader
September 15, 1912
...
It was an even break in St. Louis with the Red Sox and the St. Louis
Browns before a fine crowd. The opener was won by the Browns, in a close
game, by a score of 5 to 4. The second game went to the Red Sox by a score
of 2 to 1, with darkness putting a stop to the game after the
eighth-inning. Charley Hall started the first game and remained on the
mound until one was out in the second inning, when he was relieved by young Ben
Van Dyke, the recruit from the Worcester Club in the New England League. Hall
passed two men and was in for three singles and a double, along with a triple.
It was fine with him to leave the game after five runs had crossed the plate.
Van Dyke went in and prevented any further scoring. He held the Browns to three
hits and displayed good pitching form in his first big-league appearance. George
Baumgardner was hit easily by the Sox who inched closer to the Browns and came
within a run of pulling out the game.
The second game found Earl Hamilton, the Browns' star left-hander, matched
against Joe Wood and it was a great battle between the pair. Bert Shotton made
two sensational jumping catches in center field, preventing Boston from running
off with a lead and making the game intensely interesting. Both pitchers worked
hard and received superb support. Boston got in four base hits in the second
inning, but the Red Sox over estimated their speed on the base paths. Joe Wood
was forced to pitch for all there was in him to save the game and his uniform
was drenched in sweat when he got through.
The Red Sox scored one run in the fifth inning of the second game, on Larry
Gardner's pass, who went to third on Heinie Wagner single, and scored on Hick
Cady's long fly to centerfield. The Browns tied the score in the seventh, when
Del Pratt led off with a nice double and scored on two singles. The Red Sox
scored, what proved to be the winning run in the eighth-inning. With one out Joe
Wood drew a pass, Harry Hooper singled him to third and Tris Speaker was put on
base intentionally to fill the bases. Hamilton then threw a wild pitch the score
Wood with the go-ahead run.
The home team went out in order in their half of the inning, and it was
growing very dark. Umpire Evans called the game and the Sox then hurried back to
the hotel to eat and take the first train out of town to Cleveland. They left
here at 8 o'clock and are due to arrive at Cleveland at noon tomorrow.
In the first inning of the opening game, St. Louis scored two runs with two
outs, when Willie Hogan walked and scored on Del Pratt's triple to centerfield.
George Stovall singled to score Pratt and Jimmy Austin struck out to end the
inning. They added three more in the second on Bobby Wallace's single,
Baumgardner's walk and Shotton's single, that scored Wallace and sent
Baumgardner to third. Shotton then stole second and Williams doubled to score
two more runs. It was at this point that Van Dyke came into pitch. Hogan hit one
to Wagner for the force out at third and Pratt hit one back to Van Dyke who
threw him out at first.
The Red Sox scored two runs in the second and third inning. Gardner opened
the second inning with a single and was thrown out trying for second. Jake Stahl
and Heinie Wagner both singled, and after Les Nunamaker struck out, Hall singled
to score Stahl. In the third inning with one out, Speaker doubled and Lewis hit
one to Bobby Wallace but was thrown out. On the play, the ball was overthrown to
third-base and Speaker scored. Hooper opened the fifth with a nice double to
center and went to third on Yerkes' out at first. He scored the third Boston run
on Speaker's long fly ball to left-field. Larry Gardner opened up the
eighth-inning with a nice triple and Heinie Wagner was safe on a poor throw to
first, that allowed Gardner to score. The Sox went out in order in the
ninth-inning and found themselves one run short. |
